A recent and welcome addition to Google Analytics is Shortcuts. Shortcuts have been designed to speed up the process of analysing different sets of data and to make advertisers’ lives a little easier.

Previously when advertisers logged into Google Analytics, they would need to apply various advanced segments or metrics to the data in order to be returned with the exact data they were looking for. This needed to be done each time you logged into Google Analytics and you would have to change the segment to show what you were looking for.

With the launch of Shortcuts, now you only need to apply the segment once and when you save the filter, Google will remember your settings. So when you log into Google Analytics, you simply click on your pre-set Shortcut and the data you want to see will be displayed.

What Can I Shortcut?

Any Standard or Custom Report, or report with an Advanced Segment or metric can be added to your Shortcuts list. The only limitation with Shortcuts is that you are not able to save them for any of the reports that appear beneath the Home tab, so Real-Time reports or Intelligence Events reports are a no go.

Creating A Short Cut

It is very easy to create a Shortcut, just follow these simple steps:

1. Navigate to a report that you use regularly within Standard Reports or Custom Reports.

2. Apply any segmentation using either an Advanced Segment, metric or dimensions.

3. Once you have the dataset you are looking for, click on the Shortcut link above the report.

4. Name your Shortcut to something logical so you know what the Shortcut will show in future.

5. Click OK and this will save the Shortcut within the Home tab in Google Analytics and in the Admin area. From here you can then view or delete a Shortcut in the future.

Sharing Shortcuts

When you create a Shortcut, they will only be visible to the user that created it. If you are looking to share Shortcuts with others the only way at present to do this is to use the Email feature which sits at the top of the report.